Marble Ponies
by Rainboom93
Summary: Twilight Sparkle and Spike are given a strange tape, and the footage will change their lives forever. Ponies missing, ponies changing, ponies losing their minds and an invincible force is behind it all. Will they be able to fight it, or even stay alive?
1. Nov 17 1 of 3

**November 17, 2011**

Twilight Sparkle had her head rested comfortable on her pillow, nuzzling into it with a smile and a sigh. The moon was high in the sky and it was time for ponies to sleep. It was a stormy night, but in a peaceful way – the low growl of thunder was nothing close to menacing and the rain, although fairly heavy, was rhythmic in a way that hypnotized the mind and drew sleep closer. Twilight's consciousness faded and sleep was seconds away…

Suddenly, a rapid series of knocks at the door yanked Twilight from her drowsy state, and she tumbled out of bed, tangling herself in her blankets.  
>"Who is visiting <em>now<em>?" She asked aloud, hoping Spike, her number one assistant, would somehow answer. Even at this late hour, Spike was jogging downstairs to answer the door. Twilight smiled – she felt truly lucky to have an assistant like Spike. She cantered downstairs after the baby dragon. Before they could make it all the way down, another series of impatient knocks echoed through the house.  
>"Yeah, yeah, we're homing! Hold your horses!" Spike called. Twilight chuckled internally. Spike placed a purple claw on the doorknob and opened it, to reveal a soaked Rarity. Her groomed purple mane clung to the sides of her face and was far from fabulous. Her hooves were covered with mud and her coat was frazzled. She was panting heavily, and held a crazed look in her eyes, which were severely bloodshot. Rarity had been running, in the rain, without an umbrella. Something was terribly wrong.<br>"Rarity!" Twilight gushed before Spike's shock at seeing the beautiful pony in this state had subsided. "Come in! What's wrong!" Rarity stumbled inside, not even bothering to wipe her hooves or look at her friends. Spike absentmindedly closed the door behind him to protect the indoors from the rain.

Rarity sat herself down at a table, a faraway look in her eyes as a white cup and saucer hovered before her, followed by a teapot. The teapot poured steaming tea into the cup, which then assembled itself neatly onto the saucer before her and landed gently on the table. It took her a moment to realize that Twilight had used magic. With that train of thought, Rarity remembered why she was there.  
>"Twilight?" she said, and her silky smooth voice was shaky and worried.<br>"Yes, Rarity?" Asked the purple pony gently, taking a seat opposite her friend. Spike sat down at the edge of the table, looking back and forth between the two, but focusing mostly on Rarity.  
>"You're… you're good with magic, yes?" Rarity squeaked.<br>"I don't like to boast, but, yeah, I'm fairly good… why?"  
>"I want you to destroy this." Rarity said, an edge of finality to her voice as her tail whipped up onto the table, and from it spilled a single black cassette tape. Twilight was taken aback slightly.<br>"Uh… destroy it? But-"  
>"NO!" Rarity yelled, slamming a hoof on the table, causing Twilight and Spike to jump. "NO BUTS! JUST DESTROY IT! I WON'T EXPLAIN WHY, JUST DESTROY IT FOR ME!"<br>"Okay, okay! I'll do it! Just calm down, Rarity!" Twilight said, sticking her front hooves out as if to say 'slow down!' After a few seconds of frantic huffing and panting, Rarity slowed down and her breathing steadied.  
>"Okay… thank you, Twilight." She sighed. "I'll be off then."<br>"What?" Spike and Sparkle said in unison. Rarity said nothing before opening the door then galloping back out into the downpour.  
>"Rarity!" Spike called, stretching out his claw and running after her, but he was held back by Twilight's magic.<br>"Let her go, Spike. She's stressed out over something. She'll get home and collapse into bed." Spike struggled for several seconds against the magic, but quickly gave up. Nothing could overpower Twilight Sparkle's magic. Twilight closed the door, and poured Rarity's untouched tea down the sink, before turning her attention to the tape Rarity had given her.

"I wonder what's on it?" Spike asked.  
>"No, Spike. Rarity didn't want us to watch it. She just wanted me to destroy it."<br>"But, why? That doesn't make sense. Why couldn't she have done it?"  
>"I don't know, Spike. But it's awfully weird. We'll ask her tomorrow."<br>"But-"  
>"No. I'm destroying it and then I'm going to bed." Twilight stated plainly, and with it, their conversation abruptly stopped. Spike slunk into a corner and watched as Twilight's horn radiated its trademark purple glow. Although he was used to being in the presence of magic, Spike still waited with baited breath to see what type of magic was about to be used. There was just no way to guess what part of her vast arsenal she would use. A few uneventful seconds passed, and Twilight blinked as the glow faded away.<br>"Uh, Twilight?" Spike asked gingerly. Twilight stared at the tape in disbelief for a moment, before deciding something in her mind.  
>"I must… I must be worried about Rarity, or maybe just tired." She mumbled to herself with a definitive nod, refusing to accept that simple magic had just failed. "I'm going to bed." She cantered upstairs and let her head hit the pillow. The rain got heavier and thunder rattled the sky suddenly, but still, Twilight managed to fall asleep very quickly.<p>

Spike had remained downstairs, eyeing off the tape. After several minutes without noise from the purple unicorn upstairs, he decided to go against Rarity's wishes and watch it. After all, something terrible must be on it to make her react like that, and he had to find out what. He snatched the tape up, analyzing it carefully for several seconds, then, deciding it was a completely ordinary tape, rummaged around for a tape player/recorder. He slotted the tape in, rewound it completely, and hit play.

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><p><strong>Entry #1<strong>

For several seconds, the screen was black, save for the small white text in the bottom corner reading '6 25 11'. The sound flickered to life and the crunch of leaves and the breathless pant of an exhausted pony could be heard. An image burst forth, wobbling and shaking violently, and it took a few seconds to establish that the camera was being held in the mouth of a running pony. Not just a casual run or even a competitive run – a life threatening, fear induced sprint. The surroundings passed by in an indistinguishable blur, though some features were clear even in the haze. The pony carrying it had been running for some time, judging by the raspy and uneven breathing. The surroundings were simply trees, possibly a path, and a wooden structure was in the shot somewhere, though it was impossible to tell exactly what it was.

"Did… Did I lose him?" The pony asked out loud in a feminine voice as she slowed to a run – not because she felt safe, that much could be inferred from the panic in her voice. Rather, it was because she simply couldn't maintain that speed, no matter how much adrenaline was pumping though her. She spun the camera behind her, allowing herself to slow to a jog now, and her breathing gathered pace ever so slightly. With the camera being held tighter and the image shaking less, the wooden structure became more focused – it was simply an old clubhouse. Not the clubhouse the Cutie Mark Crusaders used, but one that was more battered and broken and in the middle of seemingly nothing but forest. A rubber ring hung from a rope suspended from a tree nearby as a makeshift swing. The camera spun again, just in time to see a single branch tumble from a nearby tree. "Crap…" The pony whispered. A single step and a crunch of leaves before the camera spun back to the clubhouse. She stopped cold upon seeing that the swing was now swaying in a wide arc, becoming almost horizontal. Before the swing could fall again, the camera spun once more, into a new direction this time. A single, loud, eerie shriek echoed into the forest as the camera fell, and _stopped_, on a white, faceless pony in a simple black suit. This pony was far larger than average, was completely white, and its arms and legs stretched further than Celestia could reach. Upon meeting this image, the camera stopped filming, and, after holding the faceless pony on screen for several seconds, the camera turned to static, with the pony's blood-curdling scream still echoing through, before the image went black, and the sound, off.

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><p>Spike put the camera down on the floor carefully, not comprehending what had happened. If not for the voice, he'd have assumed it to be Rarity. Still, the tape was strange and the faceless pony was simply horrifying. He decided then and there to go after Rarity. She must have watched it and been scared out of her mind.<p>

"We gotta help her…" the dragon uttered to himself as he began to run upstairs.

To be continued...

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><p>Author's note: Did you hear what Spike said? "Hold your horses"? HAHA!<br>It's hilarious because they're PONIES and he said hold your HORSES!

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL I'm so bloody lame.


	2. Nov 17 2 of 3

"Twilight! Twilight wake up!" Spike yelled, shaking the unicorn from her sleep. She gazed at him, her vision blurry, with one eyebrow raised.  
>"What? Why?" She mumbled.<br>"It's Rarity! I watched that tape – I know, I shouldn't have, but I did – and she's in serious trouble! We've gotta go!" The urgency in Spike's voice and the panic in his eyes convinced Twilight. She leapt from her bed and stood proudly, stumbled slightly, flicked Spike onto her back and raced downstairs. She flung the door open, slammed it shut behind her and tore through the storm towards Carousel Boutique. The skies were blackened by clouds and rain restricted the view dramatically. With a flash, Sparkle's horn was generating a beacon of light, and the way was clear.

"What was o-" Twilight yelled above the rain before being cut off by a huge crack of thunder. The storm had hit Ponyville at full force.  
>"Huh?" Spike yelled.<br>"What was on the tape?"  
>"I have no idea! It was kind of like a pony but it had a lot of arms and no face! It must have scared her senseless, who knows what she's doing or where she's going! We need to calm her down before she hurts herself!" Spike yelled as quickly as he could. Twilight didn't quite know how to react. What Spike had just described was impossible. Nonetheless, she felt ashamed of herself for shrugging off Rarity's insanity like that. Although the ponies in Ponyville often displayed an edge of insanity, she should still be there for her friend. Twilight ran as fast as she could manage, forcing Spike to grab hold of her mane tightly with both claws to prevent himself being bucked off into the muddy ground.<p>

Within minutes, they had arrived at Carousel Boutique. Twilight knocked hurriedly on the door, much like Rarity had done at her library less than an hour previous, but received no answer. She knocked harder and faster, beginning to grow very worried.  
>"I'll check the windows." Spike stated, scrambling off Twilight's back and clawing up the walls, leaving several scratches that he would have to blame on somepony else later on, and peeked through the window.<br>"What's she doing?" Twilight asked.  
>"She's not there."<br>"What? How can she not be there? Where would she be?"  
>"Oh, you want to know where she is? Well, I'm glad you asked me, because I <em>clearly<em> know."  
>"Not the time for sarcasm, Spike."<br>"You're right, it's time for action." The dragon let himself flop into the pristine grass around the house and charged at the door. One hasty puff of fire later, and the door was in embers. He sprinted inside, with the call of "Rarity?" echoing through with him. Twilight trotted in behind him, not wanting to break and enter, but figuring the door was already destroyed and it was for her friend, after all.

"Rarity!" Spike called again, panic climbing in his voice.  
>"Where are you?" Sparkle called out after. Spike turned his head in annoyance.<br>"Are you expecting her to pop her head out and say 'here I am'?" He huffed.  
>"Your sarcasm isn't helping the situation." Sparkle pouted.<br>"Your stupidity isn't helping either!" Spike yelled, far more aggressively than he would usually talk to his closest friend. But the love of his life was in danger, and emotion was overwhelming him and driving him forward. "RARITY!"  
>"What's all the yelling?" A filly called weakly from the bedroom, just as Spike was preparing to barge his way in. Seconds later, the door opened timidly, and Sweetie Belle's head poked out.<p>

"Oh, we're just looking for your sister. Have you seen her?" Twilight cooed gently.  
>"I didn't even know she had left. Rarity never tells me anything." Sweetie sighed. "She's been trying real hard to be a good sister but, look, she's not even here when I've just had a nightmare." The filly hung her head and poked at the carpet with her front hoof.<br>"Oh, you had a nightmare?" Twilight asked, tilting her head and frowning with concern. Behind her, Spike gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles loudly as a reminder of more pressing issues, but Twilight failed to notice. He hurriedly paced towards the burnt remains of the door towards the storm, determined to find the beautiful white pony.  
>"Yeah, this weird, tall white pony with lots of black arms and no face attacked Rarity…" Sweetie spat out, still visibly upset about the dream. Twilight stared at her in shock, and Spike's muscles seized up in an instant, mid-stride, causing him to fall face-first to the ground with a <em>thud<em>. He rose to his feet, and he and Twilight stared at each other very nervously. Had Sweetie Belle seen the same tape as Spike had and had a nightmare about it? Or was something more out of the ordinary and sinister going on?

"Sweetie… it… it was just a dream…" Twilight spat out, unsure of what to say. "Just… just go back to bed, Rarity's fine, she'll be back by the time you get up, and you can have breakfast with your sister." She forced a smile. Sweetie Belle smiled up at the unicorn with genuine thanks.  
>"Okay." She muttered, before cantering back into the bedroom to sleep. Twilight sighed heavily.<br>"See, Twilight?" Spike implored. "There's something weird going on here! This thing has taken Rarity! We gotta go find her!"  
>"Spike, calm down. It's just a coincidence. What you're saying is impossible. It's supernatural."<br>"Impossible? Like Pinkie's twitching? Supernatural? Like the poison joke? Come on, Twilight, don't be so close minded for once! If not for yourself or me then at least for the beautiful Rarity!" Spike was too determined to help his crush that he didn't even realise the word 'beautiful' had slipped out.  
>"You're only this worried because you have a crush on her. Please, be reasonable, Spike." Sparkle pleaded of the dragon. "We'll just stay here for a bit, clean up the mud and water we've dragged in, do <em>something <em>about that door you burnt down for no reason, and we'll go home. By tomorrow, Rarity will turn up safe and sound."  
>"You can't seriously believe that! You saw the look on Rarity's face, and if you saw the tape I saw, you'd know that we have to find her!"<br>"Spike, will you just listen to me? We have no idea where she is! Even if she were in danger, we have no idea where to look! The best thing to do would be to let the royal guards know, and you won't even be able to find them. The only reason we got here is because I can create light, but you'll just get lost in the storm!" Spike retaliated with a belch of fire, lighting up the entire room for a moment. Twilight conceded.  
>"Alright, so you <em>can<em> see. Fine. But I'm staying here."  
>"Come on, Twilight, you can run so much faster than I can. Please, just help me out?"<br>"No, Spike! We can't just leave Rarity's house like this just because of your irrational fear for her safety!" Spike was done arguing. Without another word, he leapt onto Twilight's back, grabbed hold of her mane with one claw, and nudged her in the side with his foot.  
>"Come on, let's just go!" He half begged, half ordered. Twilight, too, was done arguing. With one powerful buck, Spike was launched off her back and sent tumbling across the room. He collided heavily with the far wall, and behind him, a cabinet of fabrics came crashing down. The glass doors of the cabinet shattered, but otherwise, there was no damage. Spike had disappeared from Twilight's view.<p>

"Spike? Spike!" Forgetting their argument, the unicorn heaved the cabinet aside with her magic and leapt over the mess of broken glass. The dragon moaned weakly.  
>"Ow…" He groaned.<br>"I'm sorry, Spike." Twilight murmured. She felt around with her hooves but couldn't find her friend. She let her horn glow once more, lighting up the room. She gasped loudly at what she saw: Spike hadn't just hit the wall, he'd knocked down a portion of it, revealing a previously hidden part of Carousel Boutique. Within it lied a groaning Spike, several particularly hideous dresses (hideous even to a fashion-ignorant pony like Twilight Sparkle), numerous rare gems and, most importantly, a massive pile of tapes.

To be continued...

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><p>Author's note: This story will span 26 chapters and contain 26 entries, but there will not be an entry in each chapter, as you've probably noticed by reading this fair. Well done, you shrewd little detective, you.<p> 


End file.
